Pictures are pending. I would like to upload some to the site but unfortunately everything is in Turkish and I cannot understand a word.
Yesterday James went to the berbur of Bozburun, the barbar. It was quite the experience. Big straight edge blade, the pinching of the skin, the ear shave. All in all an interesting male ritual. The day before we went with about 10 people from another boat to a Turkish bath. The captain of the boat asked last night if it was true that we all went in the buff. Yes. I was in peels of laughter to find out that it is rather unprecedented for a group to all be buff. It is more funny because it was James and I with a bunch of 60 and 70 year olds who have been friends for years, never of course have they hung around in a hot room naked together.
A Turkish bath is a bit like a car wash. You change into a tea towel, lay on an octogan slab of marble that is steaming hot, some large Turkish man comes in and rubs you down to take off all the dead skin. Very gross. Then you are sent off for the shower. Next up is the soap, which is in a pillow case that they fill with air. When they drop the case on you there is soap foam everywhere. That was my favourite part. You have to flip over at one point and you are so soapy that you just spin right around. Second shower. Then you are off to the oil massage. The female massage was quite gentle but the sounds from the men were quite different, much like the thwapping sound at the end of a car wash. It was not a real massage more of an oil rub.
Overall it was a strange naked experience with folks I barely know but certainly know a lot more about now. The men and women are together for the entire time except the massage, and you really just have the tea towel, which the Turkish men sort of reposition every 2 minutes so they can scrub, soap, and oil.
Dirsek is our stop tonight. It is a one tavern town.
Basic impressions of Turkey: I am enjoying the landscape and food more in Turkey than Greece. The food is amazing, lots of great casserole dishes–meat with spicy sauces, onions and peppers. But everything is more expensive.
I bought two Turkish carpets yesterday.
And most important, happy birthday to Janice today and The White Rabbit tomorrow. The one taverna town tonight has no phone and it is quite surprising that we have an internet connection here in Bozburun.
Next up Istanbul.